President Donald Trump has said that the weapons the US would send to NATO to support Ukraine in its war against Russia would include Patriot missile systems and batteries.
"It's a full complement with the batteries," Trump said on Monday when asked whether he would send Patriot missiles specifically, during a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
"We're going to have some come very soon, within days... a couple of the countries that have Patriots are going to swap over and will replace the Patriots with the ones they have."
"It will mean that Ukraine gets its hands on really massive numbers of military equipment, both for air defence, but also missiles, ammunition," NATO chief Rutt told reporters.
The decision marks one of the most assertive steps of Trump administration against Russia.
The shift in tone comes just days after the Pentagon temporarily halted some shipments to Ukraine, citing concerns over shrinking US stockpiles.
But with Trump greenlighting a fresh tranche of weapons — including Patriot missile systems — reports say deliveries could resume within days.
On Monday, Trump also warned Russia that he will impose "very severe" tariffs against Moscow's remaining trade partners if it doesn't resolve its war in Ukraine within 50 days.
"We're going to be doing secondary tariffs. If we don't have a deal in 50 days, it's very simple. And they'll be at 100 percent, and that's the way it is," Trump told reporters at the White House.
The president suggested such levies could feature 100 percent tariffs.
It wasn't immediately clear what products could be targeted.
The plan is "likely to include long-range missiles that could reach targets deep inside Russian territory, including Moscow," two sources told Axios news website.
It comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin refused to halt military offensive in Ukraine despite being corralled into peace talks by Trump, drawing increasing scorn and anger from the US president.
Moscow has also unleashed record waves of drone and missile strikes over the past few weeks, with the number of Ukrainian civilians killed or wounded in June hitting a three-year high, according to UN figures.
Trump won the election with a promise that he would end wars, including the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
The leader had vowed to withdraw American support from Kiev, but now the president is reportedly willing to share US weapons with European partners who will, in turn, hand them to Ukraine.
"By selling weapons to European nations, rather than transferring them to Ukraine itself, Trump hopes to insulate himself from political criticism that he is reversing a campaign pledge to reduce the US role in the years-long war," CNN reported, citing an official.
'Better late than never'
In Kiev, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday hailed a "productive meeting" with Trump's special envoy Keith Kellogg.
"We discussed the path to peace and what we can practically do together to bring it closer," Zelensky wrote on social media after the meeting.
"This includes strengthening Ukraine's air defense, joint production, and procurement of defence weapons in collaboration with Europe," he added.
Zelenskyy also said he was "grateful to President Trump for the important signals of support and the positive decisions for both our countries," in an apparent reference to the pledge of new Patriots.
Asked what Europe expects from Trump's announcement later on Monday, a German government source told the AFP news agency: "In concrete terms I think it means that from the US side, there will be approvals for the delivery of certain weapons."
"There is an expectation from the American side that there will be considerable financial contributions to this end from the European side," the source added.
One Ukrainian soldier deployed in the war-scarred east of the country, who identified himself by his call sign Grizzly, welcomed Trump's promise of fresh air defence systems.
"Better late than never," he told AFP.
Meanwhile, Russian forces said on Monday they had captured new territory in eastern Ukraine with the seizure of two villages, one in the Donetsk region and another in the Zaporizhzhia region.
Zelenskyy has meanwhile proposed a major political shake-up, recommending economy minister Yulia Svyrydenko take over as the country's new prime minister to "significantly renew" the government's work.
Svyrydenko led negotiations on the US-Ukraine minerals deal that had triggered tensions between Zelenskyy and Trump after the Republican returned to the White House.
